Not all of us win the lottery and have $3000 to drop on a solid gun safe. Many of us just want some basic protection for our guns from a burglary or small fire. Others just want to keep the kids from stumbling upon weapons while they’re not around.

Whatever the reason may be, if you are in the market for a gun safe at a reasonable cost for some quality features, Stack-on safes might just be your cup of tea.

I’ll be taking a look at the three most popular Stack-on safes. I’ll be doing a review on the 14 gun Stack-On safe, the Stack-On Total Defense 28 gun safe, and the Stack-On 24 gun safe. So let’s dive right in and learn about the Stack-On safe company and their top gun safe models.

What is a stack-on gun safe?

A Stack-On gun safe is simply a brand of gun safes. The company name can be confusing, and I’ll admit that the first time I heard it, I thought it was a feature. I figured it meant you could stack the safes on top of each other. After doing some googling, I realized my silly mistake and that it’s simply the company’s name.

Who makes Stack-On Gun Safes?

The Stack-On company makes Stack-On gun safes. They are a newer company that was started in 1972. They focus on bringing valuable products to mechanics, trades persons, and do-it-yourselfers. Stack-On offers storage solutions like toolboxes and cabinets all the way to organizational drawers for hobbyists.

Even though they’re one of the younger companies in the market today, they have made a name for themselves by growing to become one of the most popular affordable brands of gun safes on the market.

Where are Stack-On gun safes made?

I can’t seem to locate the exact location of where they make their gun safes. Their website states that they have a large manufacturing plant in Illinois. Typically if a gun safe is made in America, it is boldly advertised along with the product.

I will be calling them to verify exactly where their gun safes are made. For now based on past experiences with other companies, I would assume they are being made in China. For some people, this can be a deterrent from buying this brand of safes.

You’ll have to decide for yourself whether this is a concern or not. Personally, I compare the price to the quality and in this case, I think Stack-On safes’ prices are worth it for the quality they provide.

(UPDATE: They are built in China.)

Who sells stack on gun safes?

Because of their popularity, they are sold through many different companies. Amazon is a large seller of Stack-on products and most of the time they offer free or discounted shipping.

This can be a huge benefit that will save you the hassle of going to a store and loading a several hundred pound safe into a truck, then unloading it and moving it into your home. If you can get shipping to your curb, it takes a huge weight off your shoulders. Pun intended.

Walmart and Home Depot are also big sellers of Stack-On gun safes and occasionally have sales. With these companies, you can buy the safe online and have it sent to the store for free. All you’d need to do is pick it up there. Depending on the store, you might be able to get free shipping to your home, but you’ll need to check with the store before ordering.

What does their warranty look like?

Unfortunately, there isn’t much information on the details of the Stack-On warranty. What I do know is that they have a Limited Lifetime Guarantee and a Limited Five Year Warranty.

Typically the lifetime guarantee means that if your safe has been broken into or destroyed by fire, it is replaced with no charge.

Normally, the Limited Five Year Warranty will cover any workmanship defects you may encounter. I recommend that you fully inspect the safe when you buy it and really pay attention to the smallest details and areas. This is a big investment and should be taken seriously.

Alright, let’s get to the good stuff. Their most popular gun safes!

14 Gun Stack-On Safe FS-14-MB-E

The price on this is unbeatable, but make sure you know what you’re getting before buying.

It boasts that it can hold 14 guns, but in reality, you can probably fit somewhere close to 7 or 8 if you’re only going to store long guns inside. It varies based on the size and customizations of your rifles.

If you want to customize the storage by adding shelves down one side, keep in mind this will cut down on the gun capacity as well. The safe comes with 4 shelves that are 11.5 x .725. They are pretty thin, so you won’t want to store ammo or other heavy objects on them without properly dispersing the weight. You can put pistols on the shelves without any issue. For some creative ideas on pistol racks, check out my gun safe accessories post here.

The FS in the name of this safe indicates that it is fire resistant. This gun safe boasts a 30-minute time limit up to 1400 degrees. Average house fires can get up to 1200 degrees. This was verified by an independent testing lab to ensure that Stack-On wasn’t biased.

The door border will expand when hot temperatures reach it, which will seal the contents of the safe and protect them from getting damaged if there is a fire. The steel doors are also filled with fire retardant material for an extra layer of protection from fire damage.

This is the electronic model of the 14 gun safe, so you can customize the lock to be something that you’ll remember easily. If you forget your combination or if the battery dies, there is still a way to access the safe by a special key that is included with the safe.

You can remove the door to the safe which will reduce the weight by 1/3rd. This is great for transporting it to the room where you want to keep it.

The safe weighs 280 pounds, so remember to bolt it down to the floor. What good is a safe if two thieves can carry it out of your home? There are holes drilled in the back, but those are not for bolting down. Stack-On says they are for venting purposes.

This safe is offered at Amazon, Walmart, and Home Depot. See the price at Amazon now. Amazon and Walmart offer free shipping to your home and Home Depot offers free shipping to the nearest store to you. Walmart and Home Depot offer extra care plans that go above and beyond the warranty that Stack-On offers. If this is of interest to you, consider buying from them.

Stack-On Total Defense 28 Gun Safe TD14-28-GP-E-S

Total Defense. Sounds pretty neat. What does it mean?

Ok, so Total Defense means that not only is there protection against fire, but there is water protection too. No, you can’t go swimming with it. Weird. It is waterproof in up to 2 feet of water for 3 days. Yep, 72 hours.

That means this is a great option for someone that lives in a fairly floodable area. Perhaps someone living near the ocean or someone in a valley that gets a good amount of rain in the spring. Storing it in your basement or garage won’t be an issue.

The safe claims to be able to hold 28 guns, but we know that typically it will hold only half of that based on the size and customizations on your long guns. Depending on your barrels, Stack-On has different barrel rests to accommodate different sized barrels. Six shelves are included for customizable storage. Great for storing ammo, pistols, and other valuables.

It also comes with a very nice door shelving system, though, which is something that is normally purchased separately from a gun safe. The door has 6 pistol holders and many pockets for documents, extra clips, and knives. Some people have noted that the quality of the door handgun holders isn’t very good. So if you have larger handguns, think about storing them inside instead.

A lot of safes come with a hole drilled in the back to run wires through, but since this safe is all about waterproofing, it conveniently has an outlet already inside the safe, and a cord installed through the back. So adding some lighting or a dehumidifier will be super easy. No splicing cords and funneling them through a small hole in the back of the safe. The work is already done for you. If you’re interested in dehumidifiers, here are my top favorites.

It weighs 562 pounds and the door can be removed. You can bolt down the safe to make sure you are protected by the warranty.

This Total Defense 28 gun safe is offered at Amazon and Walmart. Walmart offers a few shipping options while Amazon offers free shipping to your curb. Check Amazon here!

Stack-On 24 Gun Fire Safe FS-24-MG-C Review

I wanted to focus on one of Stack-On’s most popular safes that comes with a combination lock. For those of you who would prefer the more standard, original lock, this is a good option for you.

The upside to this is the lock’s quality, but note that you cannot change the combination and there is no backup key. This means that if you don’t plan to go into the safe very often, you’ll want to write down the code or put it in your phone. It’s likely you’ll forget it otherwise.

The safe is a unique hunter green color and claims to hold up to 24 firearms that are 54 inches tall. It’s not extremely roomy for a safe, though, just 14 inches deep, so if you have scoped rifles you’ll likely fit in much less than what it claims to hold. You may have to put the guns in diagonally.

It comes with four customizable shelves, but they aren’t extremely well-made. If you’re handy, you may want to add some support if you plan on storing heavy items on the shelves.

I’m not trying to steer you away from buying the safe. I just want to make it clear that it’s definitely a value-type safe that is perfect for keeping the kids out and has a bit of fire protection.

It’s fire resistant for up to 30 minutes and was tested at 1400 degrees. You’ll want to bolt it to the floor for the full warranty protection. Reviewers have noted an issue with the two guides to drill through the safe, though. Apparently the dotted guides are slightly off center, so keep that in mind while drilling through.

Overall, it is an affordable safe with a combination lock and pretty decent features. This safe is currently sold at Walmart, Amazon, and Home Depot. From Amazon and Walmart, you can get free shipping to your curb. From Home Depot, you can get it shipped for a small fee or get it shipped to the store and pick it up yourself for free. Check it out here at Amazon!

Conclusion

Each Stack-On safe offers its own unique set of features for different types of people. Overall I would say that the quality definitely equals the price. After doing a lot of research on each product, my favorite is the Stack-On Total Defense 28 Gun Safe TD14-28-GP-E-S.

The waterproofing really seals the deal for me, because personally I live in one of the top ten states that get flooded. The installed cord and outlet is a wonderful benefit too. Something that’s deterred me from other safes is that I’d have to run my own cords into the safes. This saves me that hassle of installation.

For someone who is just starting out with their first safe and a relatively small collection, they might prefer the 14 Gun Stack-On Safe FS-14-MB-E. For the price, you can’t beat it.

The 24 Gun Fire Safe FS-24-MG-C is perfect for the person that’s concerned about electronic locks and their known occasional issues. The classic dial lock is an alternative that won’t die when the batteries run out and you won’t have to worry about someone trying to pick the lock.

I hope you enjoyed this Stack-On gun safe review and found it helpful in answering your questions. Feel free to comment below with your thoughts or other questions and I’d be happy to answer them and add them to this review for future readers. Cheers!

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